The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has shot down a craft flying over the Yukon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said.
“I ordered the grounding of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. THE [NORAD] shot down the object over the Yukon,” Trudeau tweeted.
Canadian and American planes were dispatched to the scene. “I discussed it with the president [Joe] Biden, this afternoon. The Canadian Forces will now repatriate and analyze the debris of the object,” continued the Prime Minister.
According to the news first reported by Global News, NORAD confirmed late this afternoon that it had identified “with certainty” an object flying at high altitude over the north of the country.
No details on the device or its owner have been released, but it could be spy balloons, according to sources from the English-language media.
Military planes “are currently operating from Alaska and Canada to support the activities” of NORAD, said Major Olivier Gallant, spokesperson for the binational organization.
On Friday, the United States shot down a flying object over Alaska, near Canada’s northern border. The device, which was “the size of a small car” and flew at an altitude of around 12,000 meters, posed “a threat to the safety of air traffic”, announced John Kirby, spokesman for the Council of White House national security. Search and recovery activities continue near Deadhorse, Alaska, NORAD said Saturday.
The incident came a week after the United States destroyed a Chinese surveillance balloon over the Atlantic Ocean.